The Nature Conservancy's mission is protecting land through direct action.
But simply buying land or creating a preserve is not enough to maintain
the value of the land for future generations. Sources of stress can
damage the land and reduce its biodiversity, quality, and beauty.

Some of the worst invasive plant species are those
which alter normal ecological processes.
For example, in some deserts fire is rare. Exotic annual
grasses may form a flammable carpet that can spread fire easily, and
as a result the frequency of fires increases. The native plants
are soon killed, and the invasive species spread even further.
As a result, what was once a biologically
diverse desert may become a solid infestation of just a few
invasive species.

What is the worst weed?
It depends on where you live. If you live in one of the 48 contiguous
states of the USA, indicate your location
by clicking on the map below. View a nefarious weed that lives near you!

Do you live somewhere else? You are not immune to invasive
species. Here are some representative, nasty invasive species problems for a
number of other areas where The Nature Conservancy works: